There are about a million reasons why we should eat less meat, considering its effects on our own health as well as the environment. But most of us don’t want to go full-on vegetarian and quit cold turkey. That’s okay. That’s Brian Kateman’s message in his new book, The Reducetarian Solution.

This Week’s Discussion

People adopt vegetarian and vegan diets for a lot of reasons. Some people are concerned primarily with animal welfare and the environment and others just want to eat a healthier diet. Most of us, the average omnivore, are aware of these benefits but don’t necessarily want to give up meat completely. Hey, life is short and I enjoy an occasional steak.

Brian Kateman understands this. He coined the term “reducetarian” with his friend Tyler Alterman to refer to people who are trying to cut the amount of meat in their diet for whatever reason, without the pressure of ever being a “lapsed” vegetarian. It’s not a controversial idea that we should all—particularly Americans—eat less meat. Factory farming produces significant carbon emissions, the conditions for the animals can be cruel, and of course, some people don’t want any animals to die at all for human consumption.

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But you really don’t have to go full veg. Just cutting 10 percent of your meat consumption can help the environment. Brian suggests something as simple as “meatless Mondays”—just one day a week without meat. Heck, even I can do that. Listen to the show for more context on why we should be cutting back on meat and how we all can take little steps to eat more veg.

Our Upgrades of the Week

Every week we like to round out the show with the little upgrades we’ve made in our own life. This week we’re finding out if we podcast in our sleep.

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Brian: Brian’s been dabbling with the meditation app Headspace. The prospect of committing to some hour-long mediation routine is pretty daunting, but the app makes it easy to do brief little ten minute routines.

Melissa: Melissa’s been tracking her sleep—particularly whether or not she snores or talks in her sleep. In addition to a Fitbit measuring her movement, she’s been trying an app called Dream Talk Recorder Pro, which is sound-activated to record any snoring or late night soliloquies.

Andy: One little trinket I occasionally carry in my pocket is a fish-eye lens for my phone camera. There are a variety of toy lenses available online for like ten bucks that add some pretty cool features to your phone. I like the wide-angle fish eye, but you can also find telescopic lenses or even macro lenses that work like a magnifying glass. They’re just fun, cheap toys that let you take some dramatic photos like this.

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